I'm trying to build something small with a quickly frozen feature set. I've chosen to build on a foundation that changes infrequently. There is more background at https://akkartik.name/freewheeling.
You're absolutely right that this approach doesn't apply to most programs people build today, with large teams and constantly mutating requirements.
I do still have source control. As I say in OP, I just stopped worrying about causing merge conflicts with other forks. (And I have over 2 dozen of them now; again, see the link above for details.) So I have version control for basic use cases like backups or "what did I just change?" or getting my software on new machines. I've just stopped thinking of version control, narrowly for this program, as a way to help _understand_ and track what changed. (More details on that: https://akkartik.name/post/wart-layers) One symptom of that, just as an example of what I mean: I care less about commit message hygiene. So version control still exists, but it's lower priority in my mind as a part of "good programming practice" for the narrow context of programs like this with frozen feature sets, intended to turn into durable artifacts that last decades.
O the joys of solo-programming! I do it too and the thing I find interesting about it is I think a lot about how to program better like you are. If I was working on a team I would probably not think much about it, I would be doing just what my boss tells me to do.
This context helps me understand more what you're getting at quite a bit. I dunno if I could manage the same approach but I at least appreciate how you're thinking about it. Thanks!
You're absolutely right that this approach doesn't apply to most programs people build today, with large teams and constantly mutating requirements.
I do still have source control. As I say in OP, I just stopped worrying about causing merge conflicts with other forks. (And I have over 2 dozen of them now; again, see the link above for details.) So I have version control for basic use cases like backups or "what did I just change?" or getting my software on new machines. I've just stopped thinking of version control, narrowly for this program, as a way to help _understand_ and track what changed. (More details on that: https://akkartik.name/post/wart-layers) One symptom of that, just as an example of what I mean: I care less about commit message hygiene. So version control still exists, but it's lower priority in my mind as a part of "good programming practice" for the narrow context of programs like this with frozen feature sets, intended to turn into durable artifacts that last decades.